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The Great Hunt
Synopsis The Wild Hunt is based in an Age of The Horned God's creation; The Great Hunt. It is a world of massive forests, with trees reaching up into the heavens, and sprawling deserts, displaying large mysterious Obsidian Totems. This Age is the birthplace of the race of Giants known as Horned Huntsmen. The Wild Hunt also has its origins here, but it has long since spread its reach to other worlds, such as The Overworld, The Twilight Forest, and even The Tropics! In the northernmost region of The Great Hunt, there is a single solitary peak wreathed in snow and capped in glacial ice. Hidden within this mountain is the stronghold of The Wild Hunt, and to an extent The Horned God himself; Yggmûrdraal, The Sprawling Deep. It is here where The Wild Hunt begins and ends a hunt, celebrates its victories, and mourns its losses. One of the signs of The Horned God, the patron deity of The Hunt, is the straw man. These Wicker-men can be seen in abundance in the surrounding woods near Yggmûrdraal. After a successful hunt, The Huntsmen return to their Mountain Citadel to burn an incense-like fume known as "Exhale of The Horned One" in homage to their Witchgod Patron. In The Great Hunt, The Bloodmoon always shines. Locations of Importance Yggmûrdraal, The Sprawling Deep Fortress of The Wild Hunt, build deep within the Mountain known as Fang Point. It is said to be impenetrable. There are main chambers to this citadel; The Hall of Glory, Barracks, Armory, The Deepforge and The Shrine of The Horned One. All of these chambers are connected by winding staircases and twisting corridors. The Hall of Glory The Hall of Glory is a large feasting hall, where The Wild Hunt celebrates their hunts, while feasting on that which they hunted. This can mean that the Horned Huntsmen, and any whose souls belong to The Wild Hunt, can be found feasting on beast, or man. The Barracks The Barracks are where The Wild Hunt rests between hunts. There are separate quarters for Horned Huntsmen and other races, since their builds may not support similar living quarters. The Armory The Armory of The Wild Hunt is legend, filled to the brim with the greatest of weapons, armor, traps, alchemical devices, and so on and so forth. The Deepforge The Deepforge is where the smiths and armorers create the infamous gear of The Wild Hunt. It is within the core of the mountain, where the fires are so hot, it is known to kill any outsider. Other than rudimentary conveyor belts upon which the gear is released from the forges, the Deepforge is sealed to all, including The Huntsmen. The Shrine of The Horned One The Shrine of The Horned One is where The Horned Huntsmen, and all who follow them, worship their patron deity; The Horned God, Witchgod of Strength, The Hunt, Vengeance, and Evil. It is here where they burn "Exhale of The Horned One", and make sacrifices of their kills to please their God-King. In the center of the chamber is a depiction of The Horned God; a titanic Wicker-Statue of a Horned Huntsman, with eyes of red flame, sitting upon a throne of ornamental corpses, chiseled from solid gold. It is said that The Horned God can possess this Statue and converse with mortals from there. The Scorch A large desert covering much of The Great Hunt. Sandstorms are commonplace, and the terrain is not the only unforgiving part of their southern region. There also dwell huge and terrible beasts within its biting embrace. In place of trees, large cacti form small groves of thorns, protecting small deposits of clean, pure water. The Scorch is so dangerous, that as part of an initiation, The Wild Hunt sends its newest members, and Horned Huntsmen children, into The Scorch to hunt a particularly dangerous creature, and return with its hide within a fortnight. Those who do not succeed, die in The Scorch or at the hands of The Wild Hunt, if they return empty-handed. The Hunting Lands The majority of The Great Hunt is known as The Hunting Lands, or The Salthrath Woodlands. This region of the Age is composed of massively tall trees, with sparse leaves mostly in the uppermost layers. The Trees are fairly close to one another, but the lack of almost any other foliage gives the illusion of greater distances. The Hunting lands are divided into two zones, The denser Northern Salthrath Woods, and the dryer and more open Southern Salthrath Woods. Northern Salthrath Woods These woods are denser, more lush than its southern counterpart. Here, the massive Salthrath Pines are wreathed in flowering vines, and the foliage grows thick around them. It is much easier to get lost here, and considering what beasts lurk within its depths, that would be very unfortunate. Southern Salthrath Woods These woods are much more sparse that its northern counterpart. Here, the grass is short, and can crunch under your feet at times. The air is dry, less so at the sights of rivers and lakes, but still undeniably dry. The foliage is much thinner, so there are less places to hide, and more room to run. Not that it would help. Lightmoon Woods The frost-coated region of The Great Hunt, The Lightmoon Woods surround Fang Point, and tend to be coated in perpetual snows. Here, the Salthrath Pines grow smaller, and thicker. The snows are thick, and muffle almost all sound. It is for this reason, that The Lightmoon Woods have been nicknamed "The Forests of Silence". It is at its most beautiful at midday, with the sunlight reflecting off the snows, turning the whole world into a star. Fang Point The lone mountain of The Great Hunt, Fang Point stands proud in the center of The Lightmoon Woods. Towering far over even the massive Salthrath Pines, Fang Point is a mighty spectacle to behold. It is within this magnificent mountain that The Wild Hunt makes its home, withing the citadel of Yggmûrdraal. Terrible thunderstorms have been known to strike without warning atop its crest, and the temperatures are fabled to be so cold, they can freeze the lightning solid. Many regard this as an old wives tale, but even The Horned Huntsmen are not sure. The Three Rivers and Lakes The River Naeltringoth The largest of the three rivers, the Naeltringoth was named after the constellation of the same name; Naeltringoth, the butcher. He was a Horned Huntsman who hunted with The Wild Hunt over a thousand years ago. He was so named because he was known to rip his kills apart and drink their blood straight from the corpse. He was rumored, for this reason, to be a Vampire. The Horned God was pleased by this, and when Naeltringoth drowned in a river while hunting a particularly vicious Lilly Lurker, he brought his soul into the heavens and made his into a constellation. Lake Ias Found at the End of The River Naeltringoth, Lake Ias is the biggest source of clean water found within the embrace of The Scorch. Its waters have been known to boil on particularly hot days. Hence, it is commonly referred to as "The Bubbling Well". The River Aqunir The second river, the Aqunir splits from Naeltriongoth and flows to the south. It is the fastest of the three, and its white-water rapids have claimed many a life. Lake Magrosh Ending at the base of The River Aqunir, the waters of Lake Magrosh are stained a bloody red. In reality it is because the red clay found in the riverbeds of southern waters are churned up, making the water appear red. In folklore, it is said that at the bottom, there lies the still bleeding corpse of a sacred hunting beast of The Horned God, that betrayed its master. The Horned God then slew the beast, and cast it into the waters of Lake Magrosh. The River Gora Spitting from Naeltringoth and flowing north, the frigid waters of the Gora flow slowly, carrying with them much of the still frozen glacial ice that comes from the melting peak of Fang Point. Lake Frirum Smallest of the three lakes, Lake Frirum is perpetually covered in ice. It can even be walked on in the colder months. Even though it is normally frozen, the waters of the Frirum have been known to taste slightly of sugared water. Why this is baffles even The Wild Hunt. Features of The Realm Obsidian Totems Towering totems of unknown origin, these monolithic structures stand tall and alone in the Scorch. Their very presence raises questions; Who put them there? Why are they there? What is their purpose? Unfortunately, nobody knows. Over the years, The Wild Hunt has learned to avoid them. For some reason, all kinds of game avoid the places. Wicker-men One of the symbols of The Horned God is the Wicker-Man. for some reason, they surround the mountain of Fang Point, and the fortress of Yggmûrdraal. Horned Huntsmen is service of the Hunt claim not to have built them. It is possible that when creating the Age, The Horned God egotistically made them naturally appear in his realm. Native Peoples The Horned Huntsmen A race of giants hailing from this realm, The Horned Huntsmen are a terrible sight to behold. They are ten feet tall, with back-bending knees, cloven hooves for feet, glowing yellow eyes, and robust antlers sprouting from their heads. for more information about The Horned Huntsmen, click here. The Forgemasters The enigmatic race dwelling only within the Deepforge of Yggmûrdraal, The Forgemasters create the acclaimed blades and mail of The Wild Hunt. No one knows what they truly look like, as they never leave the Deepforge. The Horned God once, when conversing with the Hunt, let slip that their population is only ever nine at a time. How they reproduce is unknown, but many rumors have arisen among the ranks of The Hunt. For example, one theory is that they are not truly alive at all, and they forge each other when one "dies". Native Flora & Fauna Flora Salthrath Pine Massive trees native only to The Great Hunt, Salthrath Pines are incredibly tall evergreens with the needles being focused mostly towards the uppermost boughs of the tree. Their heartwood is rich, easily cut, and very durable against rot or time. The bark however is thick, tough, even sharp in places. One must be careful when harvesting this perilous profit. Snareroot A small vine found only in The Great Hunt, snareroot is very sticky, and the vines have been known to move on their own accord. Snareroot is a carnivorous plant. If a creature gets caught in its vines, the sap drains them of their energy, until it stops their heart. The decomposing body helps their seeds to spread, since they need bone marrow to grow into adulthood. If a corpse is infected with snareroot seeds, it will develop large black blisters all over the body. Upon the third week, the pustules will burst and the seeds will take to the wind. Fauna When The Horned God wove the magic of this Age into being, he made it known that only the strongest and most dangerous creatures could live here. Hence, the creatures that live in this realm are a hodgepodge of many beasts hailing from many realms, only much larger and far more dangerous. For instance, dwelling atop Fang Point may be living a huge White Dragon, typically hailing in The Twilight Forest. Alternatively, there might be a pod of enormous Sand Wyrms, a beast of The Overworld, dwelling in The Scorch.